Electric-fan attachment.



w. l. WORK.

ELECTRIC FAN ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED nEc.5.1914.

1,226,734. Patented May 22,1917.

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ELECTRTC FAN ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 056.5. Ism.

1,226,73'0 Patented May 22, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. L WORK.A

ELECTRIC TAN ATTACHMENT.

APPIICATiON FILED DEC. 5, 1914.

1,226,734. Patented May 22,1917.

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116. 8. T JZ WJ m lywvawfv UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

WILLIS I. WORK, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 WALWORTH MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

ELECTRIC-FAN ATTACHMENT.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application led December 5, 1914. Serial No. 875,706

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS I. WORK, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United Heretofore electric heaters have been' made in which the heating and diffusing elements have formed part of the same strueture. During the season when a heating device is needed such a structure is desirable, but during the Warmgseason when a fan is needed for ventilation merely such a. structure is unnecessary, heavy and clumsy, combining as it does the useless heating element.

My invention therefore consists in an attachment whereby when needed a heating element is attached to an ordinary electric fan to form a heater, or, in other words, it consists in a fan and heating element separably connected so when a heater is needed the heating element may be attached to the fan and whenit is not needed it may be removed therefrom.

My invention will be understood by referonce to the drawings in which it is shown in its preferred form,

Figure l being a front elevation partly in section, and

Fig. 2 a yside elevation of the fan and heater, the latter being in section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the fan and its cage.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the attaching element, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the heating element.

The fan shown will be recognized as' one offordinary construction well known in the trade. It consists of a standard A having the usual switch a. To the standard is pivoted at al the motor B on the shaft b of which is' mounted the fan proper C, all in the usual way. On the front of the motor case is mounted the usual cage which incloses the fan, and which comprises radial supports D attached to the motor case and supporting a wire ring D1 which is connected by wires D2 with a second wire ring D. The ring Ds is centered from a center plate D by supporting wires D.

This cage diders in no way from the cage in ordinary use.

My attachment comprises a casing E made preferably of sheet metal, tin or copper for example, having a rim e and a frusto-conical outwardly converging portion e1 which extends from an edge of the rim e, its outer edge forming a bearing of suiicient size to receive the heater F. This casing serves to' collect and center the draft given off by the fan C throwing it through the heater F so that it may take up heat from the heater and diffuse it through the room.l

The casing E may be spun to shape or otherwise made up as desired and has two circular grooves d, d1 which are arranged to register with and fit over the circular cage wires D1 and D3 and hold the casing E in place, `so that said casing E may be sprung over said wires and will thus be frictionally and removably mounted on said circular cage wires.

The heater F as shown is a circular heater comprising insulating perforated crossbars f set into a ring f1, the perforations serving as guides for the resistance Wires of which as shown there are six. The resistance wires f5, f are supported by upright wires f2. The terminals are lettered f3, ff, The wire running from the terminal f3 is connected to the three resistances f5 which pass up through the crossbars f and pass down again as resistances f to the terminal f. This being one well known form of heater need not be further described except to call attention to a ange F1 at the front edge of the circular casing or frame of the heater and which fiange is utilized to engage the front edge e2 of the casing E as a stop when the heater is being inserted in place in the frusto-conical portion e1 of the casing E. The heater casing fits tightly within said front edge c2 of the casing E and is thus frictionally and removably held in place in said casing E.

G is a plug switch adapted to engage the terminals f3, f* of the heater.` For this purpose it has two pairs of spring contacts, one pair gs of which may p the terminal f, the other pair g4 of whic may grip the terminal f. When the plug G is outof engagement with the terminals their contacts g are in engagement and their contacts g are also terminal of the electric light or other plug which connects with the source of current' by means of thewire h3 and with the fan motor circuit by the wire 11.13; while the contacts g4 are in circuit with the other terminal of the electric light plug by the wire la* and with the fan motor circuit by the wire It, so that when the plug G is out of connection with the heater F there will be a circuit through it from the light plug to the fan and when it is in connection with the heater terminals there will also be a circuit through the heater. In warm weather when movement of air is desired at normal temperature, the plug G is removed from the heater so that the electric current is delivered directly to the fan. When it is desired to heat the air the plug is put in place so that .the spring contacts g3 engage the terminal f3 and the spring contacts g4 engage the terminal f, thus diverting a portion of the current through the heater. In warm weather the plug being removed from the heater, the casing E and heater F are both removed from the fan cage so that air given 0E by the fan is freely diffused. The heater can then be laid aside until the season changes and it is again needed. I

Such an attachment as is above described is so far as I know entirely new and may be embodied in various forms according to the type of fan and type of heater employed.

The opening in the front of the attachment may be approximately of the size and shape of the heater as shown and the attachment be so shaped as to direct all the air from the fan therethrough to get the maximum efect therefrom. The fan having the usual switch a may at any time be cut out of circuit when the plug G is in engagement with the heater so that the heater may be used for cooking, the fan being turned upward to present the heater inv horizontal position. When it is desired to use the fan for cooling or Ventilating purposes only the casing E, frictionally and removably supported on the wire guard cage surrounding the fan and supporting the heater, may be removed; or the heater itself, frictionally and removably supported by said cage, may be taken oi.

The attachment as such is simple to make and can be of small cost and the Whole device is of such a character that it can be applied. to any ordinary electric light plug and heater supported on said casing in front of said fan.

2. The combination with -an electric fan, of a wire guard cage surrounding said fan, a casing surrounding said cage and having a frusto-conical front portion, and an electric heater supported in and surrounded by said frusto-conical portion of said casing.

3. The combination with an electric fan, of'a wire guard cage surrounding said fan, a casing surrounding said cage and having a frusto-conical front portion, and an electric heater frictionally and removabl supported in and surrounded by said rustoconical portion of said casing.

4. The combination with an electric fan, of a wire guard cage surrounding said fan, a casing surrounding said cage and having a frusto-conical front portion, and an electric heater frictionally and removably supported in and surrounded by said rusto-conical portion of said casing, said heater havin a circular frame provided at its front e ge with a flange to engage the front edge of said frusto-conical portion of said casing and thusserve as a stop when said heater is being inserted in said casing. v

5. The combination with an electric fan, of a wire guard cage surrounding said fan, a casing surrounding said wire guard cage,

v an electric heater supported by said casin in frontof said fan and provided wit terminals, a removable plug having two pairs of spring contacts adapted to engage said terminals, and electrical connections between the fan circuit and said plug.

WILLIS I. WORK. Witnesses:

GEORGE O. G. CoALn, M., E. FLAHERTI. 

